Bush fires surrounding Sydney continue to burn feverishly, and vast
smoke plumes ascend from the southeastern coastline of Australia and
extend out over the Tasman Sea. This true-color image from NASA’s Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was made from
data collected on January 3, 2002. More than a dozen active fires are burning in the region, as indicated by the thick plumes of greyish smoke streaming southeastward.

The southern end of Sydney’s urban area is bounded by the third
cluster of fires up from the bottom of the image, and the fires encircle
the city, which stands out in tan against the surrounding green
vegetation. Sydney is surrounded by several National Parks, many of
which have been damaged by the fires.

Reports indicate that the fires, which have been aided by daytime
temperatures hovering around 100°F and winds blowing at nearly 40 miles
per hour, had burned approximately 1.24 million acres of bush land as of January 2. Many of the fires are believed to have been set by arsonists, and police have arrested 21 people in connection with the devastating blazes.